Academic Writing Task 1 · table

Percentage of first-year students rating college resources as very good: IELTS Writing Task 1 sample answer

An IELTS Writing Task 1 table question with a Band 8 sample answer, the chart redrawn with its data, the vocabulary that lifts the report and how to write about tables.
  • 211 words
  • Tables
  • Academic
  • 20 minutes

The question

The table below shows the percentage of first-year students who gave? very good? rating to the resources provided by a college, for three courses.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

Percentage of first-year students who gave a very good rating to college resources
CoursePre-course informationTeachingTutorResources (print)Other resources
Economics59%95%90%81%60%
Law72%62%76%70%80%
Commerce95%95%93%86%81%

Chart redrawn by BandLadder from the data in the original IELTS practice task. Many IELTS practice tasks come from the Cambridge IELTS series (Cambridge University Press & Assessment); all rights in the original tasks remain with their owners.

Model answer

Band 8 sample answer

Band 8211 words. Every figure in the answer comes from the chart above.

The table illustrates the proportion of first-year students who rated various college resources as 'very good' across three distinct courses: Economics, Law, and Commerce.

Overall, it is evident that Commerce students were the most satisfied, consistently awarding the highest ratings in every category. Conversely, Economics students reported the lowest satisfaction levels regarding pre-course information and other resources, despite being highly satisfied with teaching and tutoring.

Regarding teaching and tutor support, Commerce and Economics students expressed high levels of satisfaction. Specifically, 95% of students in both Commerce and Economics rated teaching as 'very good', while 93% of Commerce students and 90% of Economics students gave similar ratings for tutor support. In contrast, Law students were notably less satisfied with teaching, with only 62% providing a 'very good' rating, although their satisfaction with tutor support was higher at 76%.

In terms of resources, Commerce students again led with 86% for print resources and 81% for other resources. Economics students were relatively satisfied with print resources at 81%, but only 60% rated other resources highly. Law students showed moderate satisfaction, with 70% for print resources and 80% for other resources. Finally, pre-course information received the highest rating from Commerce students at 95%, compared to 72% for Law and a low of 59% for Economics.

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Tables

How to write about tables: tips and vocabulary

  • →Tables hide the trend: find the highest, lowest and biggest change yourself.
  • →Select; do not list every cell.
  • →Organise paragraphs by row or by column, whichever gives the clearer comparison.
  • proportion

    a part, share, or number considered in comparative relation

  • consistently

    in every case or on every occasion

  • conversely

    introducing a statement that reverses a previous one

  • notably

    in a way that is worthy of attention

  • moderate

    average in amount, intensity, quality, or degree

  • led

    to be in the first or most advanced position

Frequently asked questions

What should the overview say?+

Overall, Commerce students consistently provided the highest ratings across all categories, while Economics students were the least satisfied with pre-course information and other resources.

How many words and how long for IELTS Writing Task 1?+

At least 150 words; 170 to 200 is the safe range. Spend about 20 minutes on it and leave 40 for Task 2, which carries twice the marks.

How is IELTS Writing Task 1 scored?+

On four criteria: task achievement, coherence and cohesion, vocabulary, and grammatical range and accuracy. A clear overview of the main features is what most separates Band 6 from Band 7 and above.

How do I describe tables?+

Tables hide the trend: find the highest, lowest and biggest change yourself. Select; do not list every cell. Organise paragraphs by row or by column, whichever gives the clearer comparison.

Keep practising

More tables

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